Mechanism for operating double sliding doors.



PATENTED SEPT. s, .1907.

, c. METTERHAUSBN. MECHANISM FOR OPERA TING DOUBLE SLIDING DOORS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.14,1905.

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' PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907.

0. METTBRHAUSBN, MECHANISM FOR OPERATING'DOUBLE SLIDING DOORS.

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UNITED STATES CARL METTERHAUSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING DOUBLE SLIDING DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed August 14,1905. Serial No. 274,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL METTERI-IAUSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Double Sliding Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for operating double sliding doors and refers more specifically to improvements in mechanism of that type wherein the doors are operated reciprocally; the movement of one door serving to impart a corresponding movement to the other.

Among the salient objects of this invention are to provide a construction in which the shiftable parts are so constructed and connected that it is impossible to subject them to binding stresses which would interfere with their freedom of movement, while they are neverthelesss accurately guided in all parts of their movements; to provide a construction which at the same time permits of the use of standard rolled shapes of metal for the principal guiding and supporting members, thereby reducing cost of construction to a minimum; to provide a construction wherein the connections of the doors with the operating mechanism are of an extremly simple and reliable character and at the same time such that shrinking or swelling of the door structure will neither disarrange the mechanism nor tend to impair the positive character of such connections; to provide a construction in which the main supporting wheels travel, between a track rail and overhead confining surface in such manner as to prevent lifting of the door in its own plane to a suflicient extent to force the connected racks into frictional engagement with their ways; and in general to provide a simple and improved mechanism of the character referred to.

To the above ends the invention resides in the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows in front elevation the upper portions of a pair of sliding doors equipped with a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing the complete assembled mechanism in edge elevation, the car structural parts to which the mechanism is applied being shown in transverse vertical section. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 the intermediate gear however being shown in edge elevation. Fig. l. is a perspective view of one of the connecting brackets which are permanently applied to the doors and serve to connect the latter with the operating mechanism proper.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 respectively designate the doors, each of which has permanently secured thereto a bracket 3 at its inner upper corner, whereby it is connected with the operating mechanism and is also provided at its outer edge with a second permanently attached bracket 4 carrying guide rollers 5 and 6 which cooperate with extension tracks 7.

As best seen in Fig. 4, each bracket 3 comprises a strap like body portion 8 which overlies the upper edge of the door and 21. depending portion 9 terminating in a stud 10. The parts 9 and 10 are mortised into the edge of the door so as to lie flush with the edge surface of the latter and stud 10 is axially bored for the reception of a securing screw 11. The end of the member 8 remote from the edge of the door is bifurcated as indicated at 12, to facilitate its engagement with a bolt 13 which latter is inserted through the upper rail of the door so as to extend from the panel opening of the latter outwardly through the rail. The extreme end of the memher 8 is provided with upturned shoulder portions 14, and a washer plate 15 is interposed between the nut of bolt 13 and the member 8; the edge of this washer plate being arranged to abut against the shoulder 14 and thus prevent endwise movement of the bracket even though the door structure sink to such extent as to loosen bolt 13.

With brackets 3 are connected suspension arms, as 16 and 17, each of which serves the double function of suspending the door from the track rail and also actuating a connected rack whereby reciprocal movement is imparted to the doors. An important feature of the present invention resides in connecting the doors with the suspension arms in such manner that the doors may be moved out of their normal vertical planes without bringing a binding stress upon the operating mechanism. This end is accomplished in the preferred construction by hinging the brackets 3 to their respective suspension arms. Accordingly each bracket 3 is provided with a pair of alined pintle eyes 18 and the suspension arms are similarly provided at their lower ends with pintle eyes 19 and 20 which interfit with the eyes 18 and with each other.

comprising front and rear halves which, as to their upper portions, are held united by means of screws 21 which at the same time form journals for the supporting wheels 22, while at their lower ends they are united by the pintle bolts 23 which serve to connect them with the brackets 3.

Describing next the track and guide structure, 24:, 24 designate the base castings which are secured in upright position against a suitable frame member 25 forming a part of the car structure, (see Fig. 2); these base castings being conveniently provided with a plurality of screw apertures 26 through which are inserted securing screws as shown clearly in the drawings. Each member 24 is provided with two outstanding It is to be understood that each suspension arm is of twopart construction lugs 27 and 28 which serve to support pairs of channel iron guide members 28 28, 29 and 29 respectively. The channel members are arranged with their channels facing each other as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and are rigidly united to their respective lugs by means of through-bolts 30. The thickness of the supporting lugs serves to space the edges of the channel members apart'and thus to form slots through which the suspending arms are operatively connected with the sliding rack members now to be described.

31 and 32, respectively designate the rack members arranged within the respective pairs of channels and of suitable cross sectional size and shape to slide freely in the ways thus formed. Rack member 31 is connected with suspension arm 16 and extends thence over the opposite door, 2; the connection between the rack member and suspension arm being formed by means of a pair of studs 33 rigid with the rack and working through slots 34 formed in the suspension arm. In a similar manner rack 32 is connected with suspension arm 17 and extends over the opposite door 1. The teeth of the racks face each other and between the two is interposed a gear 35 which is mounted upon a journal pin 36 having its respective ends mounted in an intermediate base plate 37 and an overlying face plate 38. The members 37 and 38 are united by means of a plurality of screws or bolts 39 and the base member is secured to the frame structure by screws inserted therethrough as indicated at 40.

In order to provide a track way for the supporting wheels 22, another channel member 41 is secured to the upper side of the channel member 29; this upper channel member being arranged with its channel upwardly facing and conveniently secured in position by the same through bolts which secure the channels 29 and 29. The supporting wheels 22, as seen clearly in Fig. 2, are provided with suitable tread faces equal approximately to the width of the channel and thus confined against substantial lateral movement during their travel.

The brackets 4, hereinbefore referred to, are so constructed as to support the guide wheels 5 in a plane outside of the plane of the door and the guide rails 7 are conveniently supported by L shaped brackets 7 as shown clearly in detail in Fig. 2. The guide wheels 5 are preferably of grooved construction and arranged to embrace the edges of the guide rail in such manner as to prevent derailing.

The operation of the mechanism constructed and arranged as described will be obvious without detailed description. But it is to be noted that the construction of the parts is such that it is impossible to so manipulate the doors in moving the latter as to cause the mechanism to bind and prevent freedom of movement. The slot and pin connection between the sus pension arms and their respective racks permits the doors to be rocked edgewise in their own plane without causing the racks to bind in their ways and the hinge connections between the doors and the suspension arms afford movement of the doors laterally with reference to their plane. The extension tracks and guide rail 7, in conjunction with the main supporting track obviously support each door at both edges in all positions. It is to be noted that the construction of the operating mechanism and particularly the manner in which the doors are connected therewith is such that it is all concealed by the casings 25 and moreover the construction is such that it conforms approximately to the thickness of the door itself. It is to be noted also that the diameter of the main supporting wheels 22 is such that the latter fit rather closely between the channel member 41 and the overhead confining surface formed by the lower side of the channel member 28. It follows that the doors cannot be lifted sufiiciently to jam the racks into frictional bearing with the upper sides of their respective ways.

It will be obvious that the details of construction or arrangement may be somewhat modified without departing from the invention as for example; it is not essential that the specific configuration of track and confining rails shown be employed nor is it essential that they be so arranged that the connection between the racks and the suspension arms is through side openings as distinguished from overhead or underneath openings.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a double sliding door operatingmechanism, the

combination with a track rail and a pair of doors, of suspension members having traveling engagement with said track rail, and supporting the doors therefrom, a rack for each door, guides within which said racks travel and whereby they are maintained in approximate parallelism, a gear interposed between said racks and slot-and-pin conneetions between each rack and corresponding door alfording vertical play between said connected parts and oscillatory movement of the door in its own plane independently of the rack and a hinge in each of said connections affording movement of the door at right angles to its general plane and independently of the rack.

2. In a mechanism for reciprocally operating double sliding doors, the combination with suitable frame supports of two pairs of guide members mounted upon said supports, the members of each pair being parallel and spaced apart to provide an intervening guide space and a lateral slot-like opening communicating with said space, rack bars arranged between the respective pairs of guide members, a gear mounted between said racks and operatively engaging each through openings formed in those guide members which extend between the racks and gear, a pair of sliding doors operating in the same plane and in a plane parallel with said guide members and supporting arms i 'espectively connected with said doors and the corresponding racks through the lateral openings between said guide members.

In a mechanism for reciprocally operating double sliding doors, the combination with suitable frame sup ports, of two pairs of guide members mounted upon said supports, the members of each pair being parallel and spaced apart to provide an intervening guide space and a lateral slot-like opening communicating with said space, rack bars arranged between the respective guide members, a gear mounted between said racks and operatively engaging each through openings formed in those guide members which extend between the racks and gear, a pair of sliding doors operating in the same plane and in a plane parallel with said guide members, supporting arms respectively connected with said doors and the corresponding racks through the lateral openings between said guide members, and a channel member mounted upon the upper one of the lower pair of guide memDerswith its channel facing upwardly and supporting wheels mounted upon the respective supporting arms and traveling within said channel member.

4. In a mechanism for reciprocally operating double sliding doors, the combination with suitable frame supports of upper and lower pairs of guide bars arranged parallel with each other and spaced apart, operating rack mounted to slide freely between the respective pairs of guides, a gear journaled between and operatively engaging said racks, a pair of doors, and a suspension arm hinged to the upper portion of each door and operatively connected with the corresponding rack by means of slot-andpin connections permitting limited vertical movement of the suspension arln independently of the rack, the axes of said hinges being arranged substantially parallel with the racks, substantially as described.

5. In a mechanism for reciprocally operating double sliding doors, the combination with suitable frame supports of two groups of guide members mounted upon said supports, each group comprising a pair of parallel guide members spaced apart to accommodate a rack bar, the lower group being spaced from the upper group and forming a supporting track, rack bars arranged between the respective guide members, a gear mounted between said ,tween said guide members and supporting wheels upon I said supporting arms traversing said track support, the

diameter of said Wheels being approximately equal to the vertical space between the groups of guide members whereby said wheels are confined against rising movement.

CA RL METTERHAUSEN.

Witnesses ALBERT H. GRAVES, K. A. Cos'rnLLo. 

